UH saved best for second half

By Kyle Sakamoto
Advertiser Staff Writer

The reason the University of Hawai'i's defense turned things around in the second half against Michigan State depends on which Warrior you ask.

But the bottom line is, the Warriors won, 41-38, last night at Aloha Stadium.

The Spartans ran 40 plays in the first half, gained 403 yards and led 28-14. In the second half, Michigan State gained 193 yards on 42 plays.

According to linebacker Watson Ho'ohuli, the Warriors came out with a more aggressive game plan after halftime.

"That's what the coach had planned — save all the blitzes and everything for the second half," he said. "Bring everything and pressure the quarterback (Drew Stanton) so he doesn't have any time and that's what we did."

Safety Leonard Peters said the difference was the Warriors' execution.

"We were doing the same thing we did in the first half, but everybody just wanted it more in the second half," he said. "Just run to the ball and do what we had to do."

Michigan State scored touchdowns on four of its six first-half possessions with a balanced attack that included 217 passing and 186 rushing yards.

"They came and ran, passed, ran, passed; pretty much 50/50," linebacker Ikaika Curnan said.

The Spartans were shutout in the third quarter, got a field goal early in the fourth and a touchdown with 1:31 remaining.

The Warriors (7-5) finished with a winning regular season, and a received a berth in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl on Christmas Eve after the game.

"Everybody here fought hard for each other and that's why we're going to the bowl," Ho'ohuli said.

Ho'ohuli led the Warriors with 12 tackles, including four for a loss. Cornerback Abraham Elimimian and Peters each had 11. The Warriors had 13 tackles for a loss, including a sack by Darrell Tautofi on a fake punt in the fourth quarter.

"Everybody played hard, everybody played tough, the coaches made great calls," Curnan said.